Midnight League Gets The Thumbs Up

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Bank of Scotland’s Midnight League programme got the thumbs up in Montrose, Angus on Friday 25th March, when Nigel Don MSP visited the latest session at Links Park.

Young people from surrounding areas travel to the venue for 90 minutes of safe, organised football delivered by qualified Scottish FA coaches. The initiative, run in partnership with the Scottish FA, local police, and the Scottish Government’s Cashback for Communities programme, takes place weekly between 8.30 and 10.00pm on Friday evenings.

Bank of Scotland recently pledged another three years of support for Midnight Leagues taking their involvement in the programme to over a decade. It all started out as a pilot scheme across just three local authorities back in 2003. Seven years on, the programme now runs in all 32 local authorities in Scotland, attracting over 3000 young people each year.

Scotland National coach Craig Levein has given his backing to the scheme: “I deal with players at the top of the game, but football isn’t just about elite athletes. I firmly believe that the game should be accessible to everyone who wants to play. Bank of Scotland Midnight League is a great programme, which encourages more young people to play the game and, perhaps more importantly, steers them away from poor choices off the pitch and gives them something positive to focus on.”

Lindsay Airth, Bank Manager at Bank of Scotland’s Montrose Branch, commented: “Bank of Scotland is delighted to continue its support of the Midnight League programme. The leagues really aim to make a positive difference in the communities in which they run and we continue to be committed to giving young people in Scotland opportunities to develop and learn new skills.”

The 2011 Midnight League programme will run in over 100 venues throughout the year.

For more information, please visit the midnight league section on the east region homepage.